Absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to contact HMRC by phone... correct?

TheCyclingProgrammer

booksurr wrote: »

simple answer - unless you have received a letter (yes an old fashioned letter) from HMRC telling you NOT to submit a tax return then you must carry on doing so until you have successfully contacted HMRC and positively closed your self assessment account with them. Clearly you already know that or you would not be trying to contact them - chicken and egg situation: no notice to file received but no confirmation of closed account received, you have my sympathy.

I might be wrong on this, but if at some point in the past you've told HMRC you'd prefer to receive email notifications, you *might* get a notice to file a tax return as an online message (and you should get an email to notify you).

dori2o

meldrewoflewes wrote: »

Months later, nothing changed.
All I wanted to know was "do I need to do a tax return this year?" as I normally get one every year sharpish in April - my modest circumstances haven't changed.
After negotiating the new identity verification system - another joke if you don't have passport and/or driving licence, I thought I would try the webchat as it said agents are available to chat.
Got through - waiting time 175 minutes, reduced to 154 minutes after holding for 10 minutes. Gave up at that point.
Tried the main number. The voice reply system rejected my simple questions. As it went on, the recorded voice got more and more garbled, like a mobile phone at the bottom of a swimming pool. Eventually, it said "we are very busy, goodbye" and cut the line off.
Next day, looked at webchat "service unavailable due to technical problems"
This is a service in meltdown, but the odds are stacked against you. Don't do a tax return and immediately get a penalty and interest. Taxpayers guilty until proved inocent. I have spent years of my life dealing with this miserable organisation.
If they can send out a letter, or better still an e-mail asking or demanding a tax return, why not one saying that this year you don't need to? On their criteria, I should be doing one (paid £92 additional tax last year), so why is it so difficult to get a simple answer?
Useless, time-wasting, untouchable, vindictive organisation pushing the boundaries of negative service until hopefully it self-implodes.

What criteria are you looking at. There is no criteria that states you should complete a self assessment form if you believe you have overpaid tax.

Do you have a Self Assessment online account, or a Personal Tax Account? If so this will tell you whether or not HMRC are expecting a tax return.

If you don't need to do a self assessment form then you can submit a repayment claim online via the Personal Tax Account. They're easy to set up if you don't have one.

If you don't have a Personal Tax Account and don't want to set one up you can complete a repayment claim online via the HMRC website, however this will take upto 45 days at the current time to be processed.